When I was a kid, my mom would read me the book called, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”. I remember feeling so much sympathy for the lead character, but also remember feeling so fortunate that I hadn’t experienced a day like that. That changed pretty quickly.
As I grew older, I learned that some days are just the worst. The. Worst. I am writing this in the hope that if you ever have one of those days, you can have some trusty coping tools in your pocket to help you take care of yourself. In addition, all of these suggestions are things that you can do even if there is no one around to vent to.
Self-Care After a Bad Day
Special Contributor UNT Student Counseling & Testing Center
Give yourself time to feel it – When we experience difficult/painful emotions, sometimes we want to do something to take them away as soon as possible. However, it can actually be helpful to give ourselves time to feel the emotion. Let yourself cry. Once you’ve given yourself some time to feel your emotion, do something that helps elicit the opposite emotion.
Connect with your favorite people – Sometimes, our favorite people exist in our favorite movies, TV shows, podcasts, music albums, books, or comic books, and when we have a bad day, this is the perfect time to connect with them. Or maybe it’s time to try some new movies, podcasts, or books and see if you can find some more favorite people to add to your list.
Aromatherapy – Fill your space with great scents that you like! You can have candles, oil diffusers, or use oils. I love fall and have a cinnamon apple oil diffuser on year-round. Sometimes scents can help you connect with positive emotions, memories, or exciting things to come.
Exercise – Even if it’s just going for a short walk, following a yoga video on YouTube, or having a dance party in your room, it can be so helpful to just move a little.
Read affirmations or practice self-compassion – We can be really great at having compassion for others but sometimes we forget to have some compassion for ourselves. Google self-compassion and affirmations and try to connect with self-compassion.
Clean/Organize – Sometimes when we are feeling like we have no control, it can be so helpful to take control of the environment around us.